Toshiba develops glasses-free 3D television, promotes female employees

New York Times : To create the illusion of three dimensions, most currently available 3D television sets rely on careful synchronization. Images intended for the left and right eyes are displayed on the screen in rapid succession. Special glasses that the viewer wears are synchronized with the TV set and ensure that each eye sees the appropriate images. Toshiba has developed a method that dispenses with the glasses, which are somewhat bulky. The method relies instead on aiming the left and right images directly at the viewer’s eyes. The innovation is noteworthy not only for its possible impact on the new market for 3D television, but also because the team that developed it was led by a woman, Rieko Fukushima. As the New York Times‘s Hiroko Tabuchi reports, Toshiba stands out in Japan for its efforts to recruit, retain, and promote its female employees.Twenty percent of Toshiba’s R&D staff are women.